Internal Revenue Agent GS-0512

The reasons to bring your career to the IRS keep adding up. As an Internal Revenue Agent, you'll be a proactive decision-maker, working with customers, businesses, CFOs, CEOs and the legal and financial communities. You'll leverage the latest in computers, telecommunications and data management systems. You will be responsible for planning and conducting onsite examinations. You will regularly work with taxpayers; their representatives, certified public accountants and tax attorneys.

In the IRS' Small Business and Self-Employed (SB/SE) division, you'll conduct examinations of individuals and small businesses to determine federal tax liability. In our Tax-Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE) division, you will ensure the compliance of tax-exempt organizations and government entities. Agents in our Large and Mid-Size Business (LB&I) division work on large corporate cases.

You will not find many careers that are this varied and this challenging. Nor will you find many opportunities to make independent decisions involving thousands of dollars as early in your career as you will with the IRS.

Training

As a new agent, you'll receive both classroom and on-the-job training. Classroom training covers subjects such as tax law, report writing, fraud detection, taxpayer relations, research and examination techniques. This is followed by a period of on-the-job training under the guidance of an experienced agent. You will then be given a more comprehensive and structured program combining classroom with computer-based training concentrating on the more complex areas of the tax law affecting individuals, corporations and partnerships.

To stay abreast of the latest changes and developments in federal tax law, Internal Revenue Agents are provided continuing professional education opportunities throughout their career. There is no better place to study and apply accounting and taxation than at the Internal Revenue Service.

Advancement Opportunities

Our advancement opportunities are excellent. The rate of progression to more complex and demanding work depends on your knowledge, skills, ingenuity and initiative.

You would typically begin your IRS career at grade GS-5, 7 or 9. Your actual salary will be determined by your grade and geographic location. Complete information on the federal salary schedule can be found here.

Based on your job performance, you may qualify for a promotion without competition about once a year up to GS-11.

Internal Revenue Agents compete for promotion to the GS-12 and GS-13 levels. Vacancy announcements at these grade levels are based on staffing and program needs.

Career Paths

Internal Revenue Agents typically follow one of two major career paths. One is as a tax generalist or a specialist in taxation related to a particular area of tax law or to a particular industry. The other career path is management.

In the IRS, we typically select our managers from the ranks of our technical professionals. Other opportunities may include taxpayer assistance, public speaking assignments, temporary assignments to a task force studying a particular issue, or as a coach or instructor for a new group of trainees.

Whichever route you follow, you will find many opportunities to expand your skills.